The tradition of retail establishments offering excellent service to customers is one of my favorite aspects of Japan, and if I were in the restaurant business I'd look to see what ideas I could import. Like the excellent custom of handing out hot towels called oshibori to customers who've just sat down to order -- there's nothing that makes you feel positive about a restaurant like cleaning your hands (and face, although it's bad manners) with a steaming hot towel. Another innovation I'm a fan of are electronic buttons you press when you're ready to order. The staff of the restaurant can see your table number light up on a board, and they instantly appear. Another idea which might have potential in urban areas are restaurant ticket vending machines. If you want to order, say, a bowl of ramen, you insert your money into the machine and press the button, getting a ticket that you give to the cook. All monetary transactions are done by the vending machine, so the restaurant doesn't need staff at a cash register, allowing the cost of the meals to be lowered.
(By the way, the Japanese achieve this higher level of service without ever taking tips, and in fact a Japanese person would be confused and insulted if you tipped them for doing their jobs. What an amazing country this is!)
I love the steaming hot oshibori towels they give you in restaurants.
7 comments:
How is service in Europe? I'm sure it varies, but it can be so ridiculously bad in America (it actually becomes quite entertaining to go to Denny's at midnight and see what kind of show the waitresses will put on for you).
The vending machine idea has its downside, should you not be able to read the language. I once ordered off of a machine in Nagoya and chose based on price. Picked an expensive one, but not the most expensive. No idea what I was going to get. Got a bowl that was like 3 services of ramen.
Funny that you say that service in the US can be ridiculously bad - my experience isn't that bad at all, and I've heard good stories from other visitors as well.
I typically find the service in the Netherlands (where I from come) "just ok" at best, but nothing special. Most personel barely know what they sell and cannot give any serious advice.
I generally tend to find the service in other European countries somewhat better, but there's a lot of variation even within one country.
It really just depends on where you go to - there's good and bad places everywhere. Usually you're better off in places that don't take tourists for granted, and in places that got started out of passion for they're selling, instead of just making as much money as off of you as they can.
My experience with service in Japan is very positive, too. While English is a problem for most Japanese in shops, restaurants etc. they always try real hard to help you. I also get the impression that people are proud of what they do if they do it well, even if the job is not so glamorous. I think that helps.
I know what you mean about service here in the US, there really is a whole range.
I've taken to going to the grocery/deli late at night (no lines) but the cashiers can be down right hostile during those shifts. Good service isn't a priority in retail outside of high-end dining. :(
PeterD, yes that can be a challenge, although I've seen them with pictures of food, too.
Ooranjin, yes I guess there is a big range of experiences to be had. From my point of view, Europe seemed like it had good service, except in countries that shall not be named that didn't want to deal with Anglophones. In the Netherlands I was happy just to be able to speak English with people. Germany, too. I love the shy German high school girls who would come up and talk to us at the one anime convention we did.
Jyuichi, yes. One odd thing is, often the service you get is not provided by Americans, as foreign labor is used for service jobs. Every time I stay in a hotel I wonder at how they can fill the place with imported workers from other countries, Europe usually. It feels like being on a cruise ship sometimes. But they usually give excellent service.
oshiburi? hot towel / wet towel... some of the resort and restaurant in Sabah (North Borneo,Malaysia) already practising this.
Looking forward for a visit to Japan in a near time...
is it true that one will need a lot of budget to visit Japan? costly?
Is the no tipping policy typical of East Asia/Pacifica? I've had the same experience in China when money I left on the table was handed back to me and I was softly lectured by my host.
Post a Comment